Watch It Burn
by Pricycle Bicycle
Summary: An alternative ending to Dragon Age 2


**In this I've made Hawke a mage and her name is (unoriginally) Mariana although there won't be much use of her name. Basically I just decided to ruin everyone's lives **** The combat will be a bit questionable. Hope you enjoy though! Possibly spoilers sort of ish if you haven't played ending, concerning Orsino and Meredith).**

**Watch It Burn**

"If you won't do it I will Hawke!" Sebastian stepped forward angrily, glaring at Anders, "he caused all of this! He killed Elthina! I cannot let him live!"

Hawke held out an arm to stop Sebastian advancing; "Leave it Sebastian! Anders…I don't have any choice"

"I know" Anders said quite calmly, looking up at the burning Chantry. Hawke clenched the knife a little tighter, then sunk it into his back. She could here Merrill crying in the background and Isabela comforting her but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. They would be fighting for their lives against Meredith and her army of Templars. Surely they weren't going to survive the onslaught. Was there any real hope?

Even as she realised their slim chances of success, Hawke turned around to face her companions; "Look. I've asked a lot of you all so far, but I can't force you to join me now. I understand if you want to leave…" She didn't want to look any of them in the eye. They all surely thought she'd led them to their deaths.

But she was wrong. Sort of.

"Nice try Ferelden." Varric grinned up at her and took out Bianca.

Merrill still looked scared but she didn't walk away. Neither did any of the others.

"I suppose it's too late to punch some sense into Fenris?" Isabela muttered half-heartedly. Aveline gave her a disapproving look while Merrill made something between a sob and a sigh, but Hawke smiled sadly;

"It was his choice to leave. Even if we have to…even if we have to kill him. It was his choice."

Before any of them could start doing any miserable "just-in-case" goodbyes, the First Enchanter came running round the corner, "Champion! They're outside the south gate! All of them! Meredith and the rest of the Templars! We have to go now!"

Without any hesitation, Hawke nodded and followed him, through the burning streets of Hightown, past groups of crying civilians who appeared to forgotten or given up on their safety, through the side gate guarded by mages into the square. Hawke looked over her shoulder as she caught her breath and was surprised to still see five panting companions behind her.

Amidst the grand golden statues and magnificent stone carvings on the walls surround the square there were hundred of mages clustered randomly, some shivering in the frosty evening air, others on their knees, praying for a moracle it seemed, and the rest muttering incantations to themselves as though planning out the whole battle.

Orsino walked forward to the front until, apart from the black iron gate, he was nose to nose with the Knight-Commander. He beckoned for Hawke to join and she walked forward, trying to maintain the composure of someone incredibly confident and brave, like the "Hero of Ferelden" she'd heard so much about. _We could do with a hero now_, she thought to herself. _Anyone who could take on an Archdemon could surely win a battle like this._

"It seems fate is not on your side First Enchanter" Meredith said with a smirk that made Hawke want to slap her, were there not an iron gate in the way. Orsino saw the look in Hawke's eyes and cleared his throat.

"What that mage did to the Chantry was not under my orders. We are as disgusted by his acts as you are. Please Knight-Commander. Let us end this now before more blood is spilled."

Meredith's eyes remained cold but she laughed. "End this now? What a sweet thought Orsino." She turned to Hawke. "I apologise that it has come to this, mage. Had you chosen differently perhaps we may have reached a different conclusion"

Hawke snorted slightly in contempt. _Maybe Flemeth will come flying out of nowhere and fry the Templars like she did the darkspawn._

Orsino laughed slightly too at Meredith. "All lies. You would have killed her in an instant. She's a mage just like the rest of us and she's going to help us win this battle."

_No pressure then._

Orsino abruptly turned and stalked away from the gate. It took Hawke a few seconds to follow.

Orsino was taking up his position in the safest place the outside of the Gallows allowed, which was at the top of the stone steps. Hawke walked back to her companions.

Aveline was rubbing her eyes and Varric was talking nonchalantly to Merrill about how there were such things as Dwarven women. Hawke's eyes fell on Isabela and Sebastian. They were standing slightly apart from the others and he was whispering something in her ear. Hawke turned mid-step to Aveline so she could allow them a moment of privacy.

Aveline quickly straightened up and smiled unconvincingly. "I meant what I said before you know. Don't feel you have to stay on my account."

Aveline laughed slightly and shook her head. "I'm not leaving. When have you known me to run away from a fight?"

Hawke raised an eyebrow "Then why-?"

"It's just…Donnic's there. Somewhere. He's with the Templars." Hawke cursed herself in her mind. How had she forgotten? It would break Aveline if she lost someone else in a fight. She was devastated when Wesley died. What if Donnic joined him?

Hawke put a hand on Aveline's shoulder and smiled. "You better not let him die then." Aveline laughed, maybe a little too enthusiastically, but she pulled Hawke into a hug anyway.

"Thank you Mariana." A sudden wave of nostalgia passed over Hawke at that moment. Bethany had done the same thing years earlier, before the Blight had even begun, before they'd fled Ferelden, before she'd died…

Hawke managed to pass off the tear as a fly on her face, although Varric shot her a sympathetic look.

The women straightened up as a horn sounded from behind the gate.

Hawke briefly wondered whose idea it had been to have a gate that locked from the outside then, making sure her armour was secure, pulled out her mage staff and positioned herself. The others divided so they were in a staggered line facing the gate.

*(Dramatic pause)*

The second the gate was high enough, Meredith charged through, followed swiftly by several hundred Templar soldiers. Then sped through alarmingly quickly and before she knew it, Hawke was facing three Templars, swiping at her.

She froze all of them in one smooth move of her staff and forced back several others, unfortunately including mages, into the air away from her. She heard the angry barks of Mabari snapping at peoples legs and the curses of those injured. She saw lights shoot from the mages' staffs and the scarlet sea of blood that was already pooling around many people's feet. Hawke caught another Templar unawares and knocked her down wither staff before kicking her in the stomach. It was vile. The whole bloody battle. Hawke neither wanted to fight, nor wanted Meredith to crown herself viscount. She sent fire into the faces of those closing in on her but got knocked to the ground, grazing her chin.

There was a familiar scream and she turned on the ground to see Merrill being dragged away from the battle by her hair and arms towards the doors of the Gallows. To Templars were dragging her and another, throwing the staff she'd taking from Keep Marethari into the fray. It was no doubt crushed within seconds.

Before Hawke could even get up she heard another yell, of anger. "Daisy! Let her go you bastards! Let her-" Varric cut off his own words by firing a bolt at the Templars' heads. One of the fell down but the other slammed the door shut, Merrill with them. Varric ran up the steps and banged on the doors, trying to wrench them open. "Let her out of there you coward! Daisy, bite him! Punch him! I'm coming for him!" The Templar who'd broken Merrill's staff grabbed Varric, lifting him clean off the ground and through him down the steps.

Hawke, who had at last found the strength to stand, shot a green burst of light at the Templar and ran to Varric. His head was bleeding but he got up and brushed dust off himself and swore at the Templar inside the gallows.

"We might be able to find a way in-"

"Stay here Hawke. Fucking coward… I'll go get Daisy. They need you here. And thanks." He smiled quickly and ran around the side of the steps.

Hawke turned back to the fight just as an arrow came her direction.

"Hawke! Maker! I thought you were beating him up or something!" Sebastian shot at a few more Templars. "I can't get any of my arrows under their helmets! Maybe if I just- Hawke look out!"

Hawke moved sideways quickly but Meredith got to her. Her eyes were glowing, _burning_ red. More importantly, her sword. It too was glowing red and her crazed expression didn't help matters. Hawke backed away, briefly looking around for the mage responsible for this.

"You've been meddling in this since the beginning! You and every other-" she raised her sword "bloody" she raised it still higher "apost-"

Meredith didn't finish her sentence. Unfortunately, that was the last thing she _almost_ said. She dropped her sword with an almighty clang where she stood and made a choking noise as blood seeped out of her mouth and chest where a blade was sticking out.

Hawke gasped with relief as Meredith fell forward at her feet. The sword's owner was looking half at Meredith, half at Hawke.

"Fenris..!" Hawke said exasperatedly, getting up and wrapping her arms around him. His body was slightly stiff but he patted her on the back. She smiled at him but kept an eye on the fight behind them.

"Thanks for coming b-"

"I don't want to discuss this now. I've still got half a mind to- Let's just help the others." Hawke nodded and as Fenris turned, Sebastian aimed an arrow.

"Sebastian wait!" Hawke held out her arm as an arrow sailed through the air, hitting the wall just above Fenris' ear. He growled something quietly as Sebastian drew closer.

"He's on our side Sebastian. Don't shoot him.." Sebastian's brow was knitted together in a surly expression that matched Fenris'.

"He can turn on us again. He will. All because of those marks on his-" Before Hawke or Sebastian could stop him, Fenris had grapped Sebastian by the collar with one arm and lifted him into the air.

"Fenris don't! Drop him!"

"These "marks" were burned into my skin! Do you have any idea what agony like that feels like!?" Hawke saw his eyes dart toward Meredith's lyrium sword and ran between him and it.

"Fenris drop him now. Or I will just knock you out until the fight is over." Hawke knew it wasn't a good threat but it was all she could do.

Fenris blew air between his teeth closing his eyes for a moment, then let Sebastian drop to the ground. Hawke gave him a small smile. "You're more useful in the fight anyway."

Fenris' eyes flashed in recognition as he walked towards a few Templars holding his sword.

"Wait!" He scowled and turned around again whilst Sebastian fiddled with his arrow quiver.

"This isn't a great time to chat Hawke."

"And we'll all be dead soon unless we work together." She pulled them towards each other. "Shake."

"What? No" they said simultaneously.

Hawke sighed with frustration "Just do it. Please. You two need to trust each other."

Sebastian snorted incredulously and held out his hand, staring over his shoulder at the fight. Fenris briefly grasped his hand then left, stabbing a Templar in the back, possibly to vent his anger.

Sebastian loaded some arrows and was gone soon after.

Hawke looked briefly back down at Meredith's body then returned to the fight as well.

Hours past, but to Hawke they seemed like years. Just when it looked like the mages were winning, more Templars materialised, joined now by angry civilians and the survivors from the Chantry. The bodies piled up, joined by the golden statues that had been enchanted my Meredith to attack the mages. The amount of blood was sickening.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hawke saw Aveline hunched over a mans body, crying. Hawke caught a glimpse of brown hair and gasped. She wanted to go over to her but a sword flashed through the air in front of her face making her look away Guard Captain.

Hawke had cuts across her face and body now and blood splattered across her feet which wasn't hers.

She felt hands on ankles and then nothing as she slumped to the ground.

Fenris crawled across the ground dizzily, looking out of the eye which wasn't blurry and bleeding. His hair was plastered to his face by blood and sweat. He watched as Isabela and a mage who looked about 16 fought off Templar attacks. Up until now Isabela had somehow managed to only get a small cut on her shin but he watched as she failed to dodge a Templar's jab with his dagger meaning the blade swiped across her collarbone. She stumbled back as the Templar was set alight by another mage, clutching her neck but smiled to herself and stood back up.

"On your feet elf!" he got up and was surprised to see Aveline, he face burning with anger, looking at him. He hadn't seen her like that before but he obeyed the instruction and charged forward, his lyrium scars glowing.

Aveline gave Donnic one last look before she disappeared once more into the war.

Hawke eventually came to, clutching her head which had banged against the ground. She looked around and gasped at what she saw.

Everywhere she looked there were flames or bodies. The fight was over all right. Thousands of bodies covered the Gallows floor and maybe a hundred were standing.

She could see the rogue Tal Vashoth who'd in the last moments on the fight joined the mages to fight the Templars oppression, quietly leaving. They were never ones to cry over the dead.

Who had won? Did it matter now? Was there anyone left to decide?

Hawke took a long time to stand because of the excruciating pain in her head where flesh had been torn. Of her companions she saw only four. Aveline and Sebastian were kneeling beside Isabela. Fenris was limping away from it all, clutching his face. Whether he meant to leave the Gallows or leave Kirkwall, Hawke didn't know. There was no sign of Varric or Merrill anywhere.

The two leaders had fallen. A grotesque, monstrous body lay in a corner. The legged head was a few hundred metres away. Only his staff told Hawke it was Orsino. Meredith still lay where Fenris had slain her. The lyrium sword was nowhere to be seen.

Hawke walked slowly over to Sebastian, Aveline and Isabela. Sebastian was looking around terrified for someone. He caught sight of Hawke and called out.

"Hawke! Come here! Can you do something? Anything? She's been cut" he pointed at the gash along Isabela's collar bone which was slightly purple. The wound had branched across her neck.

Aveline looked worriedly at Hawke too. "Hawke, I think it's poison. I don't where it came from but…can you help her?"

Hawke's heart plummeted. She looked desperately around for her staff but she knew in spite of herself that she was no healer. Anders was the healer, he could fix anything…but he was gone.

Hawke thought of Merrill and wondered if she could help but the minute she saw Varric sitting on the steps, shaking, with his head in his hands she knew it was no use. She shook her head at the others and had to restrain herself from screaming in anger and distress at everything that had happened.

They ignored the tongues of flames licking the walls of the Gallows and just sat with Isabela in silence.

Sebastian stared up at the inky black sky. How had the Maker let all this happen? Had he simply stood by and watched the city destroy itself?

Hawke stood up some time after Isabela's eyes stopped moving. She began to walk, as Fenris had done, out of the Gallows ignoring the small words of protest from her remaining companions.

She kept walking through the crowds of confused and upset civilians. She walked past the Hawke estate.

When she finally walked past the entrance gates, she gave one last look to the City of Chains. The city that had watched as it burned itself to the ground.

The End

**Please review whether you liked it or not so I can improve my writing. Thanks.**


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